Waking Up
by RedHal
Summary: Alternative Ending to Movie.  Hiccup recovers from his injuries at the start of winter and hadn't had that chat with his father during the battle.  And if that isn't bad enough, Toothless is hibernating.  Written before GOTNF came out
1. Awake

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD.

Summary: a bit of an alternate ending of the movie. Stoic hadn't managed that last conversation before Hiccup had taken off to defeat the Green/Red Death (it's 'Red' in the video game and the artwork book even though it's 'Green' on the soundtrack) and Hiccup had taken longer to wake up. It's winter by the time Hiccup does wake up and Toothless is in hibernation. So, Hiccup is forced to spend the winter getting used to being popular as well as dealing with a fake leg.

A/N: This was written before Gift of the Night Fury so the winter holiday is Yule rather than Snoggletog.

_**Waking Up**_

Stoic the Vast was sitting by the bed he had moved downstairs. It had been a month since the battle against Red Death and winter had set into Berk. The dragons had either migrated or went into hibernation. The Night Fury sleeping in front of the firepit being one of the latter.

And Hiccup was still out cold. The Healer had told Stoic to expect the worst. However, the look on the Elder's face had told him that there was still hope. But, she wouldn't hint.

Stoic used the wet cloth to wipe his son's sweating brow. The fever had returned. It was as if the gods were trying to take him, but something was keeping Hiccup pinned to this plane. Was it his connection with his dragon? Was it all Berk was doing to keep the boy alive? Stoic couldn't say. All he knew was that his son was fighting. The question was, which force was he fighting against as both seemed to be tugging pretty hard for the boy.

Stoic couldn't really believe that the gods were THIS cruel. He had made so many sacrifices to invoke their help to keep Hiccup alive, Gobber had actually joked that he was amazed there was enough food for the winter.

A part of him wondered if the gods were helping him, but it was really Hiccup who was fighting the healing process. After all, the last time the father and so talked was when Stoic had disowned the lad. He had taken it back when he heard Hiccup shouting orders from the back of that Nadder, but never got a chance to tell Hiccup.

Stoic held his son's limp hand as he remembered that day. After Hiccup had jumped onto the burning ship, he had used a strength nobody in Berk knew the kid had. He had even picked up an ax that had been discarded as a retreating Viking jumped ship when the boats caught fire and had chopped the chains off with a bit of help from the dragon and then flew up before Stoic could even reach the shore to help. Then Hiccup had lured the monster away from his friends up to the skies. The battle looked more like a thunderstorm until the fireball came crashing to the Earth and for those few minutes, Stoic had thought he would never even SEE his son again. After apologizing to the dragon he HAD found, it revealed Hiccup relatively safe in his wings. The only REAL damage being the left leg.

The father knew the injuries could have been greater had it not been for the dragon. That's why he had allowed Toothless to stay in his house.

The chief sighed as he listened to Hiccup's erratic breaths. Val would have known what to do.

Suddenly, the father got an idea.

He ran up the stairs and found a trunk at the foot of his bed. He opened it up and dug through it until he found a midnight blue blanket that had some green material woven into it so that it looked like the aurora lighting up the night sky.

His wife had made the blanket during her term carrying Hiccup. When the boy had been born too early, he had been wrapped up in that very blanket. That day, the Healers told him and Val to expect the worst.

It's been almost 16 years since those words were said to him and Val together.

He took the blanket downstairs a little weary about trying this. After all, even though it had been Hiccup's security blanket, the boy had thrown it towards the ocean in anger during Val's funeral. Thankfully, the boy never had much of a throwing arm and the blanket was saved, but never returned because he didn't think his son wanted the blanket back.

Stoic looked at his sick son and sighed. Now that he thought about it, he should have seen the signs. Since the funeral, his relatively good relationship with his son crumbled into something where people had been SHOCKED to learn that they were father and son. Not because Hiccup was so scrawny when Stoic was your typical Viking, but because the only time they really SPOKE was when they were yelling at each other. It was then the dry wit and the sarcasm started lacing his son's tone.

Come to think of it, Stoic hadn't heard his son truly laugh since before Val got sick that one winter 10 years ago.

Desperate, Stoic removed the bed fur and covered up Hiccup with the blanket amazed at how big the blanket was as it covered Hiccup's whole body still.

Immediately, Stoic noticed his son's face develop a confused look that mingled with the pained look as he gripped the edges of the blanket in his sleep.

"Get well soon, Son." Stoic whispered.

Hiccup moaned and stirred a bit, but didn't wake up. The father gripped his son's hand.

It reminded him a bit of one time Hiccup had gotten sick when he was four.

Deciding to give it a shot, Stoic gently picked his son up and sat on the bed holding the boy a bit like a combination of when he had four weeks ago after discovering that Hiccup had survived the battle and when his son was four.

He couldn't tell if it was an act of the gods or just coincidence, but Hiccup's head limply turned to face his father at the movement.

Stoic situated himself so he was leaning against the headboard and fell asleep.

0000

The next morning,

Hiccup came back to reality with his entire body sore and a splitting headache, but feeling amazingly comfortable. He had a VERY strange dream that involved a cage, fire, flying, a monster, an angry Stoic, a barely clothed Astrid, and his mother (who had been fully clothed thank Odin).

The first thing he noticed was a pair of strong arms holding him. He couldn't for the life of him figure out who it was. But whoever it was snored louder than a Nadder's roar. And he was warm. Like he was covered up by a blanket and held by someone wearing heavy clothing.

The next thing he noticed was that he couldn't feel his left foot.

He'd figure that out once the headache was gone.

The last thing he noticed was that his nose itched as if something was tickling it.

Figuring the only way he'd get some answers: like, what happened after he and Toothless crashed into the monster's tail, was to open his eyes. Slowly, he opened them.

The first thing he saw was a shape to his left. The shape was red and flesh-colored…but mostly red. It was lit by the light of the fire.

He blinked and his eyes opened a bit wider. The shape came into focus and Hiccup instantly recognized it as his father.

That explained the tickling of the nose, with the beard ending right at his face. But considering the fact that Stoic had disowned him, it was odd. Why would Stoic care?

Hiccup then looked around as best he could without jostling his father. He was in his house. Then he chanced a look at himself and his jaw dropped

He could have sworn he had thrown away the blanket he was wrapped up in. An act he regretted since the night he did it.

Certainly explained his mother's appearance in the weird dream.

Hiccup looked up at his sleeping father and gently shifted a bit being careful not to wake up the chief. He looked around a bit more and his jaw dropped even further.

He was downstairs, but that wasn't the shocking part. The shocking part was the sound asleep Night Fury, clearly unharmed, napping next to the fire in what looked to be a hibernation. Next to the door was a saddle with a red cloth on it…obviously a new saddle/prosthetic fin.

What in Odin's name was going on!

He was scared to wake his father up and ask him though. What if Stoic was still mad at him?

_But if he was, he wouldn't be holding you like he did when you were four and had that illness_.

Hiccup had to agree with his thought. Just before his memory caught up with his brain, he HAD thought he was four years old again and recovering from that illness. Actually, come to think of it, he had briefly thought that all THIS had been a fever-induced dream.

But then again, Hiccup the Useless defeating the World's biggest dragon whilst riding the elusive Night Fury? Who could blame him for thinking it was a dream? But the dragon in front of the firepit proved otherwise.

Hiccup bit his lip and gently worked his arm out from out of the blanket wedged between his own body and his father's. When it came out, he gently touched his father's shoulder and shook it.

"Five more minutes Gobber. I'm not leaving my son" Stoic muttered in his sleep after snorting.

That tugged on Hiccup's heartstring. He HAD to know the truth.

"I-I thought I wasn't your son" Hiccup whispered causing him to cough from the lack of use of his voice.

Stoic's eyes shot open and saw his son coughing.

"Thank the gods" Stoic praised as he embraced Hiccup.

Hiccup just continued to cough.

"Right" Stoic realized before getting out of bed, placing his son back into the bed, and then got a pail of water with a ladle. He scooped some water into the ladle and helped his son take a drink.

"Thanks" Hiccup said clearing his throat.

"Probably from not speaking in about a month" Stoic figured

"A MONTH?" Hiccup exclaimed

"You gave us quite a scare" Stoic informed the teenager.

"Sorry" Hiccup apologized.

"No" Stoic said. "I'm sorry. For everything."

"I am too" Hiccup insisted. "I-I should have told you about Toothless sooner. I just didn't expect that Nightmare to get spooked and…I probably should have not used what I was learning with Toothless in class"

"Well, I should have listened to you better." Stoic said. "You tried to warn me about that creature and, by ignoring you, I placed the village in danger…and then you. When I saw your dragon, but not you, after that explosion…I was more scared then than when I saw you drop your weapon in front of that Nightmare and got within snapping distance."

Father and son embraced. It was a bit awkward, but both felt it was a step in the right direction.

"D-Do you think we can just…go back to the way we were before Mom died?" Hiccup asked. "We had such a great relationship back then"

"It won't be JUST like it, but it'll be close if I have anything to say about it" Stoic promised. "I nearly lost you this time Hiccup. I'm not losing you again. And…just so you know…what you did back on Dragon Island…do you remember how proud I was of you making top in your class?"

"Yeah." Hiccup confirmed.

"That paled in comparison to how proud I am of you for what you did. I heard you shouting orders to your classmates. A true chief if I've ever seen on"

A smile formed on Hiccup's face. Stoic instantly realized that this smile was real. No fakeness. No sarcasm. A real, genuine smile that he hadn't seen since before Val got sick.

"Thanks Dad" Hiccup said before wiping his eyes with a laugh. "Stupid dim light."

"Come here" Stoic said embracing his son again realizing that his son was just being a bit emotional.

They released again and Hiccup turned a concerned look towards the dragon.

"Is Toothless okay?"

"Yeah. He's just in hibernation" Stoic assured his son. "Just so you know, as soon as he wakes up, he's going to want to go flying. He refused to fly with anyone else"

"Probably because I'm the only one who knows how to steer the tail fin" Hiccup mused.

"Well, it gives you plenty of time to get used to things on the ground" Stoic said

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked

Stoic bit his lower lip with realization that Hiccup didn't know the extent of his injuries.

"And by the way, where did you find Mom's blanket?" Hiccup asked gripping the material wrapped around his legs.

"You never had much of a throwing arm, Son" Stoic chuckled. "When you threw it ten years ago…barely hit the water"

Hiccup slapped his forehead.

"As for your first question…" Stoic said with a sigh. "Well…you didn't get out of that battle unscarred. You see…between how Toothless caught you, not that I blame him, but between that, the flames that you were exposed to since he needed one wing opened so that you two didn't plummet to your deaths, and the landing…we were lucky, and it's thanks to Toothless, that it wasn't worse…but…"

Not liking how his father was hesitating, Hiccup removed the blanket and gapped at his 'scar'

His entire left leg from the knee down was GONE.

"There was no way your leg was going to heal" Stoic explained. "It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do"

Hiccup took a deep breath and turned to his dragon. More specifically, Toothless' tail.

"You said that it was Toothless that caused the injury?" Hiccup asked

"Either that or have you die and your body completely destroyed." Stoic answered. "And, he even assisted Gobber in making this"

Stoic reached under the bed and pulled out a prosthetic leg that looked more like a leg than Gobber's peg.

Hiccup took it and laughed.

"It comes full circle" Hiccup chuckled.

"Meaning?" Stoic asked confused.

"I was the reason Toothless is missing his left tail fin in the first place!" Hiccup explained. "I then made him a fake fin to help him fly. Now, he tears off half my leg to save my life, which I am grateful for, and he assists in making something to help me walk. Justice has been served and I can stop feeling guilty about it"

Stoic relaxed glad that THAT was out in the open.

"It was the one time he left your side. And Astrid had to bribe him with cod"

"Just keep him away from eel and you're good" Hiccup said

They were silent for a few minutes.

"How's the rest of the village?" Hiccup asked

"Other than worried about you? Fine. Winter's set in so it's been quiet. And everyone knows that you come first in this house with your illness…that you've apparently recovered from" Stoic answered while putting a hand on Hiccup's forehead.

"So, I just have to get used to this thing" Hiccup said looking at the fake leg before going to put it on.

"Hold on Son. Don't go so fast. You JUST woke up. We'll take it a bit at a time. I don't want you relapsing." Stoic said taking the prosthetic away and putting it up.

"Yes Sir" Hiccup sighed.

"Besides, you have all winter" Stoic said

KNOCK KNOCK

"Who on earth could that be in this weather?" Stoic muttered as he got up and went to the door

Hiccup resituated himself against the headboard as he sat his pillow upright as his father answered the door. Things were looking up.

"Yeah. He's up" Stoic said moving aside holding a pot of something and the Elder entered the house.

"Good morning Hiccup" the elderly lady greeted as Stoic placed the pot over the firepit.

"Good morning Ma'am" Hiccup said.

"And how are you feeling today?" she asked

"A bit sore." Hiccup said before smiling at his father. "but glad to be alive."

"I bet you've been wondering why I chose you for the final" the elder pointed out after shooing Stoic away

"Yeah, that DID cross my mind a few times" Hiccup admitted. "I mean, surly SOMEONE noticed that I took down that Nadder by scratching under it's chin?"

"THAT was why" she said. "you see Hiccup, there was this prophesy made by the elder of the village 7 generations ago stating that a Dragon Rider born Viking would connect with a dragon unlike any other and end the war between Vikings and Dragons bringing peace to Berk, but both having sacrificed something. And you, born a Viking with the full Viking stubbornness and desire to prove oneself, but not the figure and brain of one…when you became an outcast, I kept a close eye on you. After your declaration of shooting down the rare and elusive night fury, I kept a closer watch on you during your training. When you started doing well, I watched your methods. I saw you throw that eel in the Zippleback's cage. And I got to thinking. How could he have known that dragons hate eels?"

"Is that why you have eels all over your place?" Hiccup asked her.

She nodded.

"But how did you know?"

"You don't think you're the FIRST dragon trainer in Berk do you?" she asked with a wink. "Dragon Rider, yes. But not trainer. When I was your age, there was a Viking here. Not of your figure nor brain power, but he managed to make friends with a Terror behind everyone's back. He taught me all he knew, but kept his knowledge a secret from everyone else. Neither his wife nor his son knew about Little Loki.

"Anyways, I watched you closely during your training and I recognized the methods of those of my dear departed friend. I noticed after a while that the way you started carrying yourself that there was a chance you had a connection greater than my friend and his Terror. I figured at that moment when you threw that mace aside and accidentally knocked out that Gronkle that YOU were the chosen one."

"Did you know that Dad would react that way?" Hiccup asked

"I didn't think he'd act so severely as to disown you temporarily, but when I saw that Night Fury that day and I saw that prosthetic, I knew that without a doubt, you were the one the prophesy mentioned. I wasn't sure what the sacrifice mentioned entailed until your father returned home with you in his arms ordering for the other healers other than Magna Hofferson and myself to go tend to the wounded in the Mead Hall and the two of us meet him here. I just knew that by getting you into a position where you could speak out, then my part was done. The rest was up to you"

"Out of curiosity…who was that friend? That first trainer?"

She smiled.

"His name…was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock I." she said with a smile

Hiccup's jaw dropped as two thoughts crossed his mind: 1.) His own ancestor was a dragon trainer? 2.) Just how old WAS this woman?

"Thanks for explaining." Hiccup told her. "Does Dad know?"

"Why do you think I shooed him out?" she asked. "Let's just keep this between us."

"Yes Ma'am" Hiccup said.

After all, the prophesy was fulfilled. No reason to dwell.

"Safe to come in?" Stoic asked with his arms full of firewood.

"Yes. And the stew should be ready. I'll be getting my pot back in the spring" she said.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Stoic asked

"I just ate" she said before leaving.

"Did you know that she knew my first namesake?" Hiccup asked his father.

"No. Just that she's an old family friend" Stoic stated. "Guess old is right."

The two laughed as Stoic got stew off the fire so his son could eat.


	2. Visits

Chapter 2: Visits

After Hiccup and Stoic ate lunch and the injured teen got a bit more sleep (but the healthy kind), the two were talking about what started the adventure and Hiccup explained about how he had met Toothless and how the dragon had spared him despite Gobber teaching the kids that dragons always go for the kill.

KNOCK KNOCK

"It was snowing pretty hard when I went to get some more water." Stoic told his son as he got up to get the door.

The chief opened it and smirked at the sight of the thin figure in the door covered with a snow-covered cloak.

"Hello Sir" Astrid greeted as she entered the house.

"I see a bit of bad weather isn't going to deter you from your daily visits." Stoic mused as she hung up the cloak

"Of course not" she said turning to the chief. "How is he?"

Stoic turned to the bed causing her to do the same. Hiccup smiled sheepishly at Astrid wondering what his father meant by 'daily visits.'

Astrid walked over to the bed and slugged him in the arm.

"OW!" he exclaimed

"That was for scaring me" she told him.

"What? Is it ALWAYS going to be like this? 'Cause…" Hiccup asked stunned by her behavior. He had risked his life to make sure that she would be okay and he gets HIT for it?

However, Astrid silenced him by kissing him. And not like how she had that night when she met Toothless. This was long and luxurious.

Stoic chuckled. Those two reminded him so much of himself and Val when they were their ages.

The teens released their kiss.

"I could get used to it" Hiccup said with a shrug.

"Well, I'm going to get some REAL sleep upstairs." Stoic told the kids indicating that he was going to give them a bit of privacy.

"That was borderline awkward" Astrid mused after Stoic left. "How long have you been up?"

"Since this morning" Hiccup answered. "And this whole day has been borderline awkward between my very weird fever induced dreams which you are better off NOT knowing about and Dad and I having civilized conversations with nothing being hidden."

"And I'm sure that the discovery of your leg is included in that" she pointed out

"Big time" he said moving the blanket to reveal his new stump.

"Have you tried the prosthetic yet?"

"Not yet. Dad wants me recovered a bit more first."

"I don't blame him." Astrid said "Well, I guess we can talk things out. I mean…what are we?"

"Two Viking teens who got in way over their heads" he suggested.

"I MEANT…are we a couple?" she asked.

"Good question" Hiccup mused. "I mean…after we flew over Berk and you admitted that you liked flying…it FELT that way but then we met that monster and then there was the exam…but you did get me out of that funk I was in after the others sailed away…I'd like to think we are"

"So would I" she said "Especially after what happened"

"Uh…can you fill me in on that? I don't remember anything after crashing into that thing's tail"

"Okay." She said figuring he deserved to hear what he put everyone through this past month. "Well, after you and Toothless got that thing into the air, we couldn't see anything. It looked like a storm was moving in. We could see the flashes of Toothless' flames and the roars of the beast. Then a large fireball came crashing down and there was this HUGE explosion. Flames went up to the clouds. I was so worried that Toothless' fake fin would catch. And from the looks of things, it had. When the explosion died, the air was filled with ash and smoke. I could barely see anyone else. But…I heard your father. I had NEVER heard Stoic the Vast sound so scared. The smoke cleared a bit and everyone was gathering to one spot. Gobber and I pushed to the front and I saw Stoic kneeling between us and Toothless…you were nowhere in sight. I knew we were all thinking the same thing: your body had burned in the explosion. I heard your father apologize to Toothless and…what happened next brought me back to our flight. Remember how Toothless started off really rough?"

"Yeah…I wasn't expecting him to do that" Hiccup admitted.

"Well…he stopped after I apologized. And when your father apologized, Toothless opened up his wings to reveal you. I couldn't get a good look from my position, but you looked in one piece, but you were out cold. I couldn't even tell if you were breathing. Stoic then took you into his arms and checked to see if you were alive. He announced you were and I felt hope again. Gobber then pointed out your left leg and it was all business since. We used the remains of the ships to build rafts and had the dragons tow the injured back to Burk as well as a few others who were to get some more boats and then go back for the unharmed people. About two weeks ago, you developed a high fever and it was looking REALLY bad."

"I didn't mean to scare you…or anyone" Hiccup told her "We were trying to fly away from the flames so that when they died, we could land safely. But the fin WAS damaged and had even fallen off. We had no control of direction and we slammed into the tail of that monster. I blanked out and I woke up here this morning."

"You mentioned a fevered dream though."

"Well, the first parts made no sense." Hiccup said. "but then Mom appeared and told me to stop stalling and face a new life and hinted I was really going to like it. I told her I was scared because of what Dad said to me when we last spoke and she said he hadn't been thinking straight and to pay what he had said that day no mind because she had already taken care of it. So far she was right"

"Well, I'm glad you listened to her" Astrid said

0000

The next day (if you would call it that as Berk was in that all night all day period),

"Okay, are you sure about this?" Stoic asked Hiccup.

"I'm sure Dad" Hiccup assured his father. "If I don't get used to this now, then by the time sleepy-head over there wakes up, I won't be ready to fly."

Hiccup had both feet (real and fake) planted on the ground as he sat on the edge of the bed. He gripped the foot post and pushed himself off after taking a deep calming breath. He took a firm grip on the bed as he balanced himself having not stood for a month. He took a half a step forward to get the feel for the prosthetic. He stumbled, but caught himself. He tried again and lost his balance.

This time his father caught him as he fell to the ground.

"I don't know how Gobber does this" Hiccup muttered.

"Years of practice" Stoic said. "And don't tell him I told you, but when he first got his peg leg, a day never passed without him falling flat on his face"

"Did he REALLY loose them to a dragon?" Hiccup asked

"It was during a raid long before you were born" Stoic informed his son. "He'll tell you it was the BoneKnapper, but it was really a Nadder."

"Good to know" Hiccup muttered sarcastically.

Stoic smiled. Even though he didn't care much for his son's sarcasm, he was able to tell it was good natured this time rather than hiding his true feelings.

"Why don't we try walking around the room with you holding on?" Stoic suggested

Hiccup nodded.

Hiccup took small steps while clinging to his father's arm. When Stoic felt his son keep his balance,

"Wanna try it on your own?"

"Sure." Hiccup said releasing his father.

Stoic moved in front of Hiccup a couple of steps away. Hiccup took a step and fell. Stoic made to catch him

"Don't!" Hiccup told his father with a determined and stubborn look on his face

Stoic watched as his son got up on his good leg using it to push up.

Flashback

_Stoic had just entered his home after a long round around the village to make sure everything was alright. He saw his wife squatting down with her arms out begging for something to happen. _

_He turned to where she was looking and saw his son standing up while gripping the bench. This was no shock. Hiccup had been pulling himself up for a while, but never got far._

_Then, the baby took a step out_

"_That's it Hiccup. Come to Mama" Val prompted_

_The baby took another step and fell _

"_It's alright Son" Stoic chuckled as he watched his son try to push himself back into a standing position without the help of a bench or bed or anything else._

"_Hello everyone" Gobber greeted as he entered the house through the already opened door. _

"_Hello Gobber." Val said as she got up and picked her son up and stood him up. Hiccup just sat back down with a stubborn look on his face._

"_Don't want to try again? Well, that's enough walking for today." Val said before turning to Gobber. "Did you bring that new hook Gobber?"_

"_Aye" Gobber said as he and Stoic tried so hard not to laugh and were failing._

_With Val's back turned, Hiccup was trying to stand on his own again_

"_What?" she asked before turning and saw what was so funny. "I thought you didn't want to continue for the day" _

"_That's because you were helpin' him Val" Gobber told his friend's wife._

"_He's a Viking" Stoic added as his son took another step. "And we have stubbornness issues." _

End Flashback

Stoic smiled as Hiccup was back on his feet (or foot…whatever). The steps were small and MUCH like they had been all those years ago. But at least they're steps and he can walk.

The words of the healer came back to him

"_Stoic, if we don't take off his leg, he'll never walk again" _

Stoic couldn't believe the conclusion he came to. Especially how he had felt when he swung that sword that night: chopping off his son's leg was the best thing he ever did for the boy.

The chief was brought back to reality when Hiccup fell into his arms.

"Not bad for your first time" Stoic praised. "You'll be walking again in no time"

"Good" Hiccup said before yawning "I'm tired Dad."

"Okay son" Stoic said helping his son to the bed. "That's enough for today."

0000

Three days later,

Stoic went downstairs to find his son already practicing his walking.

"I wish you'd have waited for me" Stoic told his son in a warning tone.

"I need to learn to do this by myself Dad." Hiccup argued

"Well, how's the leg holding up?" Stoic asked figuring his son did have a small point. He wouldn't always be there to catch him and Hiccup WAS pretty good about getting back up.

"It's good." Hiccup said. "I love the design and I was looking at the saddle earlier and the new leg will work GREAT with it. Gobber did a good job designing it."

"Well, he said that he added a bit of 'Hiccup Flair' to it" Stoic said remembering how Gobber had shown up with it one day saying that Magna had helped with the cushioning, but the rest was his design with a bit of 'Hiccup Flair' thrown in.

KNOCK KNOCK

Stoic took a step towards the door, but

"I got it" Hiccup told his father with a smirk on his face.

Stoic smiled. Astrid hadn't been by lately (no doubt due to the fact that the weather had been pretty bad and she had snuck out of the house last time and was more than likely grounded), so seeing Hiccup walking around would be a pleasant shock. If it was anyone else…well…the fact that Hiccup was up would be a just a pleasant shock.

And Hiccup had realized that.

Hiccup opened the door to see Gobber looking pretty cold out in the snow.

"Hiccup! You're up!" Gobber exclaimed as he gave the boy a strong pat on the back that would have sent the still relatively weak boy flying if he hadn't been gripping onto the door for support. "Nobody tells me these things."

"He's been up for about five days." Stoic said. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. Just thought you'd like an update on YOUR village" Gobber said reminding Stoic he was still the chief even if he was making up for 12 years of unintentional neglect and verbal abuse.

"I'll let you two talk." Hiccup said after closing the door and walked away from the two men.

"Any problems?" Stoic asked

"Thankfully, no. Luckily we didn't have that one big raid before winter this year and it appears most dragons feed off of fish. Between the migration of the Nightmares and Zipplebacks and the Hibernations of the others, the food supplies won't be in shortage. And thankfully we won't need to make any sacrifices to invoke the gods again for Hiccup to wake up" Gobber said motioning his head towards the boy who was sitting on the bed writing in a journal. "Though we should thank them this spring."

"We'll make a good offering when we give thanks for the survival rate" Stoic said.

"I agree." Gobber said. "And I was thinking, and Fishlegs agrees with me, but this winter, once you're ready to leave Hiccup alone or Astrid's around, we should plan for this spring to go back to the nest. There might be some resources there we can use for Berk."

"That's an idea" Stoic mused thoughtfully.

Gobber smirked and turned to the teenager

"Hey Hiccup!"

Hiccup looked up from his writing or whatever it was he was doing.

"Yeah?" Hiccup asked

"What would you say this spring, we take a trip out to the Nest now that that THING is gone and go exploring?" Gobber asked

Hiccup bit his lower lip and a flash of fear entered his eyes. However,

"It's not a bad idea" Hiccup said. "I noticed it was a dormant volcano and typically those things have valuable resources. It also might help with any mental trauma the survivors had gone through"

"Then we'll make plans to go for the spring." Stoic said determined to start listening to his son more.

After about half an hour, Gobber went back to his house leaving the father and son alone.

"So what is that you're working on Son?"

"Just a list of things I learned from Toothless that might come in handy for people looking to train dragons." Hiccup said. "I'm also thinking we MIGHT need to rewrite that Dragon Manual"

"True. Considering all the entries end with 'Kill on Sight' and the Night Fury entry has no information and 'hide and pray it doesn't find you'" Stoic agreed

The two sat in silence for a while before Stoic started laughing

"What?" Hiccup asked

"I was just remembering what Astrid told me you said before deciding to come after us" Stoic said. "How you 'wouldn't' kill a dragon. Yet…"

Stoic gestured to his son

Hiccup laughed as he realized what his father had meant.

"I killed a dragon" Hiccup realized

"Making you a TRUE Viking" Stoic said with a proud smile.


	3. A New Future to Look Forward To

Chapter 3: A New Future to Look Forward To

The next day,

Hiccup was sketching his sleeping dragon when the door opened to reveal his father coming in from the snow.

"How'd the meeting go?" Hiccup asked

"It went well. Everyone started celebrating when I confirmed the rumors that you were up." Stoic said "And I got to thinking halfway through the meeting…now that you've proven yourself to not only be a Viking, but a true leader because I heard you calling out those orders to your friends…you're more than qualified to become the chief."

"Huh!" Hiccup asked horrified at the idea.

"Not NOW" Stoic laughed. "When you're older and I'm gone"

Hiccup relaxed, but only a bit.

"Are you sure Dad? I mean…truthfully, this whole 'I'm not useless' is still new to me"

"I understand that it's going to be a jump for you, but I'll be here to train you. And besides, once spring sets in, people will be coming to you for help and questions about the dragons. Because I read what you had to say in that little handbook of yours and I didn't know about dragons not liking eels. People will be counting on you anyways for knowledge about their dragons. At least think it over."

"I'll consider it" Hiccup said

Stoic went upstairs.

Hiccup slid off the bed and scratched his hibernating dragon's head.

"I wish you were awake Buddy." Hiccup whispered

0000

The next week,

Hiccup had the new saddle/prosthetic fin on the bench and was examining it.

KNOCK KNOCK

"C'mon in! It's open!" Hiccup called

The door opened to reveal Astrid.

"Sorry I haven't been around. Mom didn't like me sneaking out even if it was sweet and she's been trying for 12 years to act more like a girl" Astrid apologized.

"It's fine. At least you still have your mom" Hiccup pointed out.

"What is it you're doing?" she asked while deciding to change the subject knowing that talking about Valhallarama was a touchy issue with the Haddocks

"Examining the new saddle so that I can get used to it for when Toothless wakes up" Hiccup said.

"I hope I'm there for that" Astrid said laughing.

"If not, we'll drop by your place." Hiccup promised her. "Then you and Spikes can join us. Anyways, it's not that different from the one I made. In fact, it's much more comfortable and I think it'll feel better on Toothless too."

"Well, Gobber found your designs for the original and worked from that." Astrid said.

"That's good to know" Hiccup said

"You seem a bit distracted." She observed.

"Now that I'm no longer Hiccup the Useless, Dad thinks it's a good idea for me to start training to be the new chief."

"Hiccup! That's GREAT!" Astrid exclaimed.

"Glad you think so" Hiccup told her obviously not happy about the situation. "I kill one dragon and suddenly I'm the son he's always wanted. I mean, I know it's what I wanted in the past, but it seems almost too easy."

"Hiccup. It's much MORE than that" she told him. "He heard and saw what happened when we flew into battle. He saw something in you that had been hidden for 15 years. He saw the potential you hold. I think you'll make a great chief when the time comes."

"But what if I mess up?" Hiccup asked.

"You won't be alone" she told him. "And neither is your Dad. I'm sure he was just as scared as you when he realized he had the weight of Berk on his shoulders. But he has Gobber, your uncle, my parents, and, when she was alive, your mom. And when you take over, you'll have me, Toothless, Legs, Lout, Ruff, and Tuff. We'll be there for you"

"You think I really have what it takes?"

"Hiccup. You got the people of Berk to jump on the backs of Dragons to go fishing" she said.

"I don't remember doing that."

"If you hadn't taught us, we wouldn't have taught everyone else how to ride." She assured him.

"I guess you're right" Hiccup sighed as he sat side-saddle on the saddle. "I guess…all those years of being ignored and being called 'useless' and all those other names…I'm used to it."

"It'll take a while for you to get used to this new way of life." She pointed out. "But think about it. Would you rather go back to the way things were Pre-Toothless? Or would you like to move on into the future with very similar hopes and dreams that you had a kid?"

"Well…" Hiccup mused. "I HAD always wanted to follow Dad's footsteps. I just…since I was 9, never thought I could"

"And now you can" she told him.

Later that night,

Stoic came home to see his son putting up the saddle.

"Everything alright?" Stoic asked his son.

"Do you really think I can be the next chief when the time comes?" Hiccup asked

"Of course" Stoic said. "All you needed to show that you had what it takes was a motive. I was nervous too when I went into training. And by then I had killed a dragon."

"Not helping Dad" Hiccup said as he translated that into 'the job's scarier than taking on a dragon'

"But when your grandfather died," Stoic continued "I felt the dependency of the village turn to me. Knowing that everyone counted on me…it felt a bit like going into battle. And I knew that if needed to, I could count on Gobber, my brother, your mother, and her friend. I wasn't alone and you won't be" 

"That's what Astrid said" Hiccup told his father.

"That Astrid's a wise girl" Stoic told his son.

"I think I'll give it a shot…but can I still work in the forge?"

"Sure" Stoic chuckled "Now get to bed"


	4. Yule

Chapter 4 Yule

A couple of months later,

Winter was halfway over and Hiccup was moving around much better on his fake leg. In fact, Stoic had figured that Hiccup was well enough to leave the house.

The only problem was that his leg didn't move well in deep snow. So, Hiccup had to be carried to the Mead hall.

Luckily, Stoic had enough sympathy to place Hiccup back on solid ground before opening the door.

"Thanks for sparing my dignity" Hiccup whispered to his father as he was placed on the ground.

"Your welcome" Stoic said opening the door to reveal that everyone was in the hall.

Like a wave, the Hall went silent at the sight of Hiccup up and about. Then, like another wave, applauds and cheers filled the air.

Astrid ran up to Hiccup and kissed him on the cheek.

"Happy Yule Hiccup" she greeted.

"It's Yule already?" he asked confused

Laughing, she dragged him to sit with their friends. Stoic smiled as he watched Hiccup's peers who had used to jeer and taunt the boy greet him with handshakes and back-pats.

"That dragon was the best thing that ever happened to that boy" Stoic told Gobber as he sat at the head table.

At the teens' table,

"If I had known it was Yule, I would have done something" Hiccup told his friends now that he had them.

"You being awake and alive for this is gift enough for us." Fishlegs told him.

"That's right" Astrid agreed

"Besides, Old Man Winter's coming tonight." Tuffnut said

"He's not real" Ruffnut informed her brother

"Yes he is."

"Nuh uh"

"Huh uh"

"Nuh uh"

"Huh uh"

"Nuh uh"

"Huh uh"

"Nuh uh"

"Huh uh"

"Nuh uh"

"Huh uh"

"Nuh uh"

"Huh uh"

"Nuh uh"

"Huh uh"

"It's good to be out of the house" Hiccup chuckled before turning to Astrid. "They remind me of a few Terrors Toothless and I ran into the day before I was chosen to fight that Nightmare"

Suddenly, there was the sound of a mug being pounded on the table. Everyone turned to see Stoic standing up.

"Let the Festivities Begin!" he announced.

There was a cheer and the wild boar was sacrificed to Frey for a good season.

The rest of the 12 day long festival was filled with laughter. Hiccup could never remember having so much fun during the festivities. Partially because he was excluded from everything before.

The Yulelog was prepared and burned in the main firepit to protect the entire village. Hiccup noticed that some of the ruins were different this year than last year. Nobody had mentioned on the log to protect them FROM him, but he had noticed that a lot were for his own protection and also instead of the protection FROM dragons, they were asking protection FOR the dragons…most of which had names…like Fishleg's 'Warty.'

Nearby Evergreen trees were decorated to entice the tree spirits to return for the spring.

While the six teen heroes were decorating one relatively small tree, a group of kids, about 5-6 years old, were running around dressed in goat skins play fighting.

Hiccup recognized the play as a recreation of a battle, but he wasn't sure which one they were reenacting.

"Good times" Snotlout sighed as he noticed what his cousin was looking out.

"Speak for yourself" Hiccup said whacking his cousin's arm. "I was always the dragon that got killed"

"Can you imagine in less than ten years it'll be OUR kids running around like that?" Fishlegs asked

Astrid and Hiccup looked at each other, blushed bright red, and looked away. They hadn't even talked marriage let alone kids.

"I wonder what it is they're playing" Astrid said

"HEY KIDS!" Tuffnut called as he ran over to the kids. He knelt in front of them and quietly spoke. One little boy answered while pointing to his friends and siblings to tell Tuffnut who was who. He even pointed to a group of friends not far away who looked as if they were waiting for their cue.

It was clear it was all Tuffnut could do not to laugh.

"Thanks kid" Tuffnut said before going back to the tree.

"Well?" Ruffnut asked

"The Battle against Red Death." Tuffnut said before pointing to the oncoming kids who had their wings outstretched and started beating up a snowdragon. "Those six are us"

"Never thought I'd see the day I'd be portrayed by a kid" Snotlout laughed.

"Well, I bet you've also thought you'd never see the day you'd be riding a Monstrous Nightmare" Tuffnut pointed out

"I miss Fyreworm" Snotlout pouted

"He'll be back soon. Spring will be upon us before you know it and we can all go flying for fun" Hiccup told his cousin.

The teens took a step back and admired their work (Astrid was helping Hiccup move around in the snow)

"HEY!"

Astrid and Hiccup turned as did Fishlegs and Snotlout to see Ruffnut and Tuffnut starting a snowball fight. Tuff threw a snowball at Ruff. She dodged and it hit Lout instead. Legs started to laugh causing Lout to pelt him.

Astrid and Hiccup laughed freely, something neither had done Pre-Toothless days. The two then got pelted with snowballs and, being Vikings, they returned fire.

"Hey Kids!" Gobber called. "It's time to roll the Sunwheel!"

"Coming Gobber!" the teens and the younger kids chorused

The kids ran ahead while the teens took their time to help Hiccup walk in the deep snow. All wishing that their dragons could be here or awake for the festival.

0000

After the Yule holidays ended,

Stoic walked into the Mead Hall and saw the five other teens gathered around chatting about something quietly.

"You five look as if you're up to something" Stoic accused teasingly.

"Well, Sir…" Fishlegs said after Ruffnut and Stoic punched him in both arms to signal his cue. "It's just…we know that in two months, it's Hiccup's birthday and we were just trying to come up with fun things to do that he might like"

"Unfortunately, you're asking the wrong Viking for ideas" Stoic said

"We've already figured that what we'd do is just spend the day together, but we were wondering if it could be just us six" Astrid explained

"No adult supervision. He is turning 16" Snotlout added.

"Well…I suppose you five have proven that you can help him out when he needs it."


	5. Birthday Fun and Death Remembrance

**Chapter 5: Birthday Fun and Remembrance of Death**

Two months later,

Hiccup was asleep when suddenly he was shaken awake.

"Huh?" he asked tiredly.

"Wake up" Astrid's voice came

"Astrid?" Hiccup asked with a yawn. "What's going on?"

"Would you just come on?" Tuffnut's voice whispered.

"Hold your dragons" Hiccup said putting on his fake leg. "What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that we're kidnapping you today like you kidnapped me that day months ago" Astrid told him "Now move it Boyfriend"

The six teens left the village and hiked to the mountains.

"Now is there a reason why you five kidnapped me and risked the wrath of my father and a cranky me?" Hiccup asked

"Yes, we got your father's permission, and…" Astrid answered before kissing him luxuriously causing the others to fake-gag.

"Okay. I'm fully awake and chipper" Hiccup said when they pulled out.

"Good. Happy birthday" she said

"It's my birthday already?" he asked

"You honestly didn't realize it."

"Sorry, but being unconscious for a month affected my timing. Even with Yule" he told his cousin. "So…what are we doing all the way out here."

"We are just having a day to ourselves to be...whatever." Fishlegs said. "No judging by adults telling us to act more mature and no kids laughing at us. Any laughing done here will be in good humor and we can do whatever we want"

"But my leg…" Hiccup stated.

"That's why there's six of us" Astrid told him. "Five of us to help you"

"Thanks guys" Hiccup said "So…any plans"

"You're the genius of the bunch" Tuff said.

"Invent a game or something" Ruff said.

Hiccup sighed and looked around. There were a few dead trees and rocks laying around.

"Well…I don't have my tools though." He said eyeing the wood

His friends smirked and each pulled out some kind of tool or his journal in Astrid's case.

"You guys thought of everything" Hiccup laughed. "C'mon. I have an idea"

After explaining the plan as he instructed his friends in what to do…

"I've been wanting to do this since I was 13. I was watching the Sunwheel roll and the kids and you guys were rolling with it. I was thinking that with the proper equipment and a steeper slope, we could get some REAL speed without getting dizzy in the process."

"Why did I pick on you again?" Snotlout asked since his cousin's idea sounded like FUN!

"Because I created destruction everywhere I went and I was scrawny and never could amount to anything until I found my calling in Dragon Training…literal dragon training that is" Hiccup answered as he stood on the board of wood he had carved.

"Are you sure you want to do the test run?" Astrid asked.

"C'mon Astrid." Tuff said "It's his birthday."

"How about this?" Snotlout said putting his own bit of wood on the ground and jumped on it. "You're not doing this alone this time."

"Let's do this then" Hiccup said

The two cousins leaned over and performed the first two ever Snowboard runs. Tuff and Ruff looked at each other and followed with the first ever ski run.

"Might as well." Fishlegs said to Astrid. The boy jumped onto a pair of skis and Astrid took a snowboard and followed the four down the mountain and joined in the cries of adrenaline

At the end of the run,

"That was so TOTALLY AWESOME!" Tuff shouted at the end of the run after working his way out of a snowbank as everyone was laughing at the crash landings be them wipeouts or just couldn't stop.

Hiccup was having a hard time catching his breath as he laughed at his cousin who had fallen into the latter category, crashed into a tree, and knocked a large pile of snow onto himself making him look like a snowviking.

"Hey! We should have these as competitions." Legs suggested. "I heard that the Greeks used to have these competitions called the Olympics or something like that."

"The Winter Olympics" Ruff mused as Snotlout punched his way out of his prison of snow.

"It'll never catch on" Lout said

After the day of fun on the mountains, the gang made a sled and went down the mountain from the top. Due to the momentum, they managed to get to the village in time for the feast.

Afterwards, Hiccup and Stoic went home. Hiccup went straight to his sleeping dragon and hugged him.

"You wouldn't believe the day I had today. And it's all thanks to you Bud. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have worked so well with the guys" Hiccup told the dragon

The response was soft snores.

0000

A month later,

KNOCK KNOCK

Hiccup looked up from his book and went to the door to open it. He was greeted by his concerned girlfriend.

"Is everything alright? You've been pretty good about coming out everyday."

"Not today Astrid" Hiccup said sadly. "It's…It's the anniversary of the day Mom died."

"Oh Hiccup" she gasped as she realized the blanket Val had made was wrapped around his shoulders. "Can I do anything for you or your Dad?"

"No. It's been ten years and it still hurts" he told her.

Astrid hugged her boyfriend.

"She loved you" Astrid figured

"She was the reason I was never called 'Useless' before the age of six" he told her

"Hiccup" Astrid said pulling out of the hug and forced green eyes to meet blue. "I can promise you right now that you will never be called that ever again. And she still loves you. She was the one who helped you come back to us, remember?"

"I remember." He admitted

"So she's still looking out for you." Astrid pointed out "She'll never leave you. It might feel that way, but she won't"

"Had you told me that ten years ago, I wouldn't have believed you" Hiccup told her as he pulled the blanket closer to him.

"She made you that blanket, didn't she?" Astrid asked

Hiccup nodded. "When I was born, it was the only thing available. It was fresh off the loom and I was born too early. Dad believes that it's blessed or lucky because I had survived. When Mom died, I threw it away towards the burning ship. Luckily, I never had a strong throwing arm and Dad was able to save it. He kept it safe waiting to find out if I would show signs of regret of doing that. When I woke up after the battle, I noticed he had wrapped it around me. I guess he was desperate enough to believe that if it saved me as a newborn, it would save me from my injuries."

"It's beautiful" Astrid said admiring the blanket. "Well, whatever the reason be it blessed or just lucky, I'm glad she made it"

"Your not the only one"

The teens turned to see Stoic coming out of his room.

"I was wondering if you kids would like to hear some stories about Val." Stoic suggested.

"Sure" they said completely unaware that they were in half of the stories

Of course, Stoic knew his wife well enough to know that she would have loved watching the two lovebirds squirm during baby stories.


	6. The Other One Wakes Up

**Chapter 6: The Other One Wakes Up**

A couple of months later,

Hiccup was sitting on the front steps of his house watching the three-quarter-sun peeking over the horizon. Winter was nearing the end and anticipation was starting to overwhelm him. Would Toothless remember him? Would his dragon remember how to fly with the fake tail-fin? Hiccup had started to practice daily on the saddle while placing it on the bench.

Suddenly, Hiccup heard the sound of a Nightmare.

"FYREWORM!" Snotlout shouted like a three year old going to see his Daddy who had just returned from battle.

Hiccup smiled as he watched his cousin hug the dragon while a Zippleback flew overhead to the Thorston home. The dragons were coming home so it shouldn't be too long before the hibernating dragons woke up.

The next day,

Hiccup was watching his sleeping dragon hoping that the force of pure, utter willpower would wake up his Night Fury. The door opened and a smiling Astrid ran in. When she saw the sleeping dragon, the smile dropped.

"Spikes is up?" Hiccup guessed.

"Yeah. Just now" Astrid said. "Is Toothless okay?"

"I checked his vitals. He's fine. He's just being lazy" Hiccup said scratching the dragon's scales.

"Either that or different dragons wake up at different times" she pointed out. "Certainly explains why there were never any Night Furies during the just-after-winter raids."

0000

The next morning,

Hiccup had checked Toothless' vitals and noticed that his heart rate had picked up. Fishlegs had informed him that it was a sign that Toothless would soon wake up. So, figuring his dragon would be hungry after not having eaten in nine months, he had gone to the docks and got a BIG basket of cod.

When he got back to his home, he saw his dragon still asleep. Since he had gotten up at the crack of dawn to get the food, the teen climbed back into bed to get a few more hours of sleep.

Half an hour later, Toothless stirred and yawned while stretching. Smelling the cod, instincts took over and the dragon ate all the fish.

Fully fed, Toothless went over to Hiccup's bed to see the teen sleeping soundly. Toothless leaned forward to sniff his rider.

Hiccup made a face in his sleep at the fish-breath.

Taking this as a sign that his rider was waking up, Toothless gurgled a bit and Hiccup opened his eyes.

Excitedly, Toothless started nudging Hiccup to tell him to get up out of bed.

"Hey Toothless" Hiccup greeted as the dragon started licking him. "Yeah I'm happy to see you too."

Then Toothless stepped on Hiccup's stomach

"OW!" Hiccup exclaimed as he sat up holding his stomach.

Excited that his rider was up, Toothless started climbing all over the room.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called before noticing the bag. "You already ate all the fish?"

With an exasperated sigh, but a huge smile on his face, Hiccup climbed out of bed and walked to the door and turned to his dragon. Toothless had climbed down looking apologetic as he looked at Hiccup's leg.

Hiccup followed the gaze and then smiled.

"Don't worry about it Bud. Dad told me how you helped Gobber with the new one. Now, are we going to sit here and mope…or…" Hiccup asked as he grabbed the saddle and prosthetic fin. "Do you want to go flying again?"

Toothless perked up and ran out the door just BARELY giving Hiccup enough time to get out of his way.

"Hold on you crazy reptile!" Hiccup called after his hyperactive dragon.

He put the new saddle on Toothless and then hopped on. His prosthetic foot locked into the left stirrup.

"Ready?" Hiccup asked

The dragon snorted a bit with a nod before jumping into the air.

It was as if Toothless had never been in the hibernation and Hiccup hadn't been unconscious for a month.

"Let's see if we've still got it Buddy" Hiccup told his dragon.

The two weaved around the buildings just faintly hearing the exclamations 'Toothless is up!' and 'They're back in the air' and of course the ever popular "NIGHT FURY! GET DOWN!"

The two laughed at the last one as they headed towards the Hofferson's.

"Morning Guys" a voice came

Hiccup and Toothless looked to see Astrid on Spikes.

"I was taking Spikes out for a flight and I thought I saw a black streak." She said

"Race ya!" Hiccup said.

"You're on." She said

They took off and were later joined by Fishlegs on Warty, Snotlout on Fyreworm, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut on GasnSparks.

_This is Berk. It snows nine months of the year and hails the other three. The food that grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here are even moreso. The only upside are the pets. While most places have ponies or parrots…_

The gang flew over where Gobber, Stoic, and Asgerd Hofferson were walking and the latter two were talking marriage contracts between their son and daughter with Gobber witnessing the transaction. The fathers looked up and waved at the kids.

_We have dragons._

THE END


End file.
